Todd Wagner, the embattled pastor of Watermark Church, a Dallas multisite megachurch with a pre-pandemic congregation of 20,000 people, has resigned his position as senior pastor and elder. I bet some of you, dont attend or are part of the church, Jealousy amongst many of you I can smell from here. +++++++++++++++++. He springs off of that definition into how true followers of Jesus might be considered a Jesus-cult and how is that a bad thing? Christian Rocker Posts Stunning Response to Recent Apostasy of Christian Leaders, Chicago Radio Host & a Former Bodyguard Say James MacDonald Asked Them to Arrange Murders, James MacDonald Took Millions from Harvest & Now Demands Broadcast Ministry, Mancow Airs Shocking Comments By James MacDonald: My Response. He said at the time that he was not guilty of disqualifying sin like sexual immorality, financial misconduct, or foul languagesomething Wagner reiterated when he announced his resignation. The Watermark spokesperson explained that the church followed the Dallas Independent School District's "standard and customary process for this . Also, please note, you are free to leave Watermark Church at any time. They have brought a civil lawsuit against the Church of Scientology for stalking and intimidation that occurred after they reported their assaults to the police. trying to figure out what happened in an effort to understand if the leadership is healthy or unhealthy. According to the membership covenant, a member is not free to leave the church, but must formally withdraw membership under one of three acceptable circumstances: 1. Sort of as God told him and his wife that it was time to move on to the next thing God has planned. Does anyone know if the Re:Engage marriage program that Watermark started is worthwhile? Im thankful you have experienced the controlling, entrapment, and triangulating side of WM. I am certainly not an atheist and am a regular church attender. He could have sold the house when it was gifted to him, bought a home more in line with a humble servant leader, and donated the additional proceeds to the church. The twin resignations come after months of turmoil at the church. Since November, it appears two other Watermark elders have left the original board of six menBrian Buchek and Beaut Fournet. And why? Best wishes to the church members, though. See more of Watermark Community Church on Facebook. that the elder board was ready to go in Todds leadership direction. Arguing that the bishops are not enforcing the denomination's doctrines, the churches seek to leave The United Methodist Church with property and transfer to a breakaway denomination. Pray snd ask the Lord for that, sure many here are upset, but not many know what has taken place fully, you judgmental hypocrites. Not to gotcha, but I just want to set the record straight that the gift tax doesnt make it unrealistic that Todds family was gifted that house. Create new account. Its inappropriate and wrong for a pastor serving the church to live an opulent lifestyle. In these community groups you are enmeshing your entire life into the church. All of the years I attended Kanakuk I had awesome and incredible counselors except for Todd. 25 years ago, I found myself getting angry atRead more , I was a WM member until I realized that if you fail their morality assessment and they decide you have a pride issue, not a desperate, destitute, homeless or depression issue.. that is perceived as insincere or excessive: Not every word from a person in a pulpit will always be perfect considering that they are imperfect humans and will admit it. The only fees were for the materials we used. The Christian Post's Leonardo Blair wrote an eyeopening post titled Dallas megachurch pastor who confessed to sin of pride resigns. The church also produces a popular marriage curriculum called re|engage that is used in more than 370 churches nationwide. Seems there are some Watermark menbers so what. Wow. Why wouldnt the devil try to tempt and discredit a Christian leader whos been respected by so many and positively influenced so many? A former member of Shekinah Church, who lost a lawsuit against Shinn in which she alleged he swindled her out of $4 million, has issued a dire warning for those who have been lured into the. Some titles of articles written about Watermark Church. Wagner said he is excited about what God is going to do at the church in its next season and urged the congregation to obey their leaders. Being your authentic self in community with others is the goal, they say. Its almost as if Mr. Wagner is concerned that more detailed information will come out. He comes back, preaches, and the elder board is moving forward with reinstating him and Leventhal has qualms about it. Also resigned is David Leventhal, an elder and teaching pastor at Watermark, who said he had lost trust in Wagner's leadership. It is a long process to leave unless you just dont fill out the yearly form. Sure, lets not address anything that is rumored to be strange about Watermark and say that Jesus sounded cultish. I dont think so. Theres no independent authority (like a congregational vote or a higher denominational officer) that can remove an elder in this government structure. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Hes not the pastor of Watermark. We see this is the third article this month youve found worth reading. 2 doctrinal statements create confusion over authentic belonging. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. I wish he was still there and I know I would be living nearby and attending with spirit filled days and nights studying what he preached. . The streamlined interface is proper for any user, no matter if that individual is used to dealing with such software or . Yet, Mickey Friedrich says: [dont] try and judge whose version of events is right or wrong, and that even Friedrich and Thompson land at a different place than (Leventhal and Wagner) regarding why weve arrived here.. You can see it on their instagram! Spiritual authority is the result of Gods power shown through spiritual gifts and deep experiences with God. When he stepped into an executive pastor role a few years back he didnt like that his replacement (JP) was more poly than he was so he didnt allow him to pastor/lead. A pastor or elder does not automatically have spiritual authority due to his position in a church. I didnt feel the spirit when I heard him. Shame on you folks. One of His Disciples who signed a church membership contract?, Five Reasons to Say No to a Church Covenant I believe this man would help many, I can say that without shadow of doubt. But, we ALL should be. However, an expert on church property law says the churches . I have never met so many people using the term spiritual abuse asRead more , Concern, Who are you to judge!? however, since evangelical leaders have redefined gossip to mean dont rock the boat to protect their power, careers, and revenue, can you explain what you mean by gossip? Community groups are the epicenter of Watermark Church. A major focus of the Community Groups at Watermark and many other churches is to foster the development of deep connection with a small group of fellow believers that enables true Christian accountability. Todd uses God to accomplish his goals ofRead more , We briefly visited WM; I quickly told my husband, this place is the cult of Todd and will implode without him. Thats not Todds fault, but no thanks. Women have gotten to the point where they thing their poop doesnt stink lately. As stated above, dont confuse Todd Wagner the billionaire with Todd Wagner the pastor though Todd Wagner the pastor does live in a home valued between 1 and 2 million dollars. 4774 square feet also poor stewardship unless hes raising 8 kids or something. It is kindness that brings people to repentance. Watermarks issues IMO are people issues more that content or material issues. Secondly he says that even Jesus himself said things that might be considered cultish: If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26. Its a really bad idea in my opinion because its not being totally forthright with members about what the church actually teaches. eSignature; on The Aftermath: Stories from Former Watermark Church Members, Youth Volunteer at The Village Church Confesses to Sexual Abuse of Minors. And some community groups are less intense. Not Todds decision but good try on the poor stewardship bit. Wow. Its a huge red flag to me about Todds character and understanding of God. In the video, Wagner said that the clarity to step down was not hasty, adding that the discernment process had started a year ago. Before I get into the first story, I want to lay some groundwork to help my readers understand how the structure of community groups at Watermark Church works. Just because you have not experienced or witnessed the things that happened to the person who told their story that I featured in this post, does not mean those things did not happen. I dont know if I am over-reacting when Todd made a off the cuff remark about taking his wife some where last week where she could be warm. In January, Wagner returned from leave to preach his first sermon and received a standing ovation from the congregation. They gave you a false fraudulent form of love, because it was ConditionalRead more , I dont want to make light of this, but I do want to say that this is beyond misleading. The Asbury Revival Is Over. I cannot imagine that Jesus, given all options, would choose to live among the wealthiest citizens in the most landscaped, luxurious part of the city. Get new articles and breaking news delivered to your inbox. Todd was put on sabbatical to reflect about his proud attitude. He can be only the center ofRead more . Give a gift of $30 or more to The Roys Report this month, and you will receive Escaping the Maze of Spiritual Abuse by Dr. Lisa Oakley and Justin Humphreys. Religious double talk. Readers write about Watermark Community Church's stance on gays, Ken Paxton suing Brownsville, black lives also matter, Michelle Obama and Dallas Stars fans. The man and his wife were Watermark members. Both of these practices are, in my opinion, unhealthy. Sure, we made friends with our peers in the class and had fun at summer camp, and it all developed out of normal human interaction. He first goes into the definition of the word cult which in latin is the word cultus, defined as to inhabit, dwell; to cultivate. Listening for root issues and how they cause hurt for make more senses than listening to reply in a sermon. Hello, Scottie. Wagner was tearful during his speech in the video Sunday. Even now, her parents (who worship there) refuse to talk to her or visit her children, simply because she was dutiful enough to report on the pedophile acts of a man who used to work at Prestonwood. Log In. Amazing indeed! no one was threatening him he deliberately chose to live as the 1%, say yes & accept it, move in and make it his home. Watermark Community Church is a nondenominational evangelical megachurch based in Dallas, Texas . This process is called Community Formation (formerly GroupLink). Products. Very humble of you. a lavish lifestyle is contrary to everything Jesus stood for if Jesus still matters, and if anyone actually remembers. I was blessed to attend Kanakuk for years and years. It was meant to jerk everyones chain. These overly dramatic talks tend to make me feel like Im not spiritual enough or theyre covering up something. By our measure our savior Jesus was a total and complete failure. There are more than one people with the name Todd Wagner. A lower court has already ruled that the church is free to release private information about its members. He added that he and Wagner are good and there is no anger, malice, or slander between them. Hope it works out I know God has you in his hands and it will. The womans story you shared sounded like her personal interpretation of events that has no factual evidence to back it up.. We areRead more . File photo of fans at a Dallas Stars . Thats the other dallas todd wagner who is mark cubans partner. There is another Todd Wagner in Dallas he is an entrapenuer Its not Wagner the pastor. AGAIN, I have absolutely NO proof and its pure speculation. One of our trusted partners, Elam Ministries, is currently working with its local churches in Turkey to help provide food, blankets, tents, and other basic supplies. Mickey makes it sound like the decision for Todd to resign was something weve arrived at due to events. Leventhal doesnt seem very interested in this whole thing Wagner appears attentive during Leventhals speech but Leventhal seems stand-offish toward Wagner. There are many issues at Watermark. Wagner is all about control and he lost it. No One Knows. When I received the email from *Susan (pseudonym), a former Watermark Church member, she wrote, I am not the only former Watermarker out there who is nervous to speak up about this organization, because I refuse to call them a church.. He publicly criticized other local church leaders and called them out in the media and then doesnt really share his issues. Are Calvinism and YEC accurately described as higher? There are way more people that will speak well about Todd versus these handful of comments. I dont know folks.if you have to go online and record a video to explain how your church is not a cult..this might lead into a Jeff Foxworthy joke! 5,280 were here. Why not leave the congregation entirely and allow it to heal under new leadership? The gift tax is only levied at the end of someones life when they exceed the gift tax exclusion in their lifetime (which is currently set at $11.7 million per individual). Evangelical Church. If you dont want to share about your finances you dont have to. I would be ok disclosing financial information to my community group. All white and all men has nothing to do with anything. What you need to know about Church Membership Covenants., The Aftermath: Stories from Former Watermark Church Members, The Aftermath Part II: Stories from Former Watermark Church Members, Family Ties: How Watermark Community Church is Alienating Families. The state of California and Los Angeles have agreed to pay $800,000 in legal fees to settle their lawsuit with John MacArthur's church over COVID-19 lockdown rules. The Christian Post's Leonardo Blair wrote an eyeopening post titled Dallas megachurch pastor who confessed to sin of pride resigns. Not now. May 28, 2006 — -- A female member of the Watermark Community Church, . Several weeks after Leventhals resignation, Wagner separately decided to step down as senior pastor and elder, the churchs statement said.. Im with Scotty and Andy Wilson. One person complained that her husband was forced to tell his community group how much he made and to account for how he spent his money. 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